New York, Dec 6: India's Shiva Keshavan has secured a 25th-place finish on his maiden entry into the Luge World Cup finals.

Keshavan clocked a personal best time of 52.569 seconds in the first heat and followed it up with 53.159 in the last heat at the Olympic Sliding Centre here Friday.

Keshavan's coach, Duncan Kennedy, was satisfied with his pupil's performance.

"We hit all the key targets we had set for ourselves in this race. Shiva still has a long way to go as a slider and as he gets more and more comfortable with the new equipment, we can expect the results to improve further. I think it is a great way to start the season with a personal best," Kennedy said Friday in a release.

United State's Tucker West bagged the gold medal setting a new track record of 51.002.

Keshavan will next compete in the Asian Championships in Nagano, Japan, Dec 21.

"I am happy with where we are placed at the moment. There are no miracles in sport and you have to work hard to earn each hundredth of a second in Luge. That is what I plan to do and as long as I keep improving on my own records and ranking gradually, I will be satisfied," Keshavan said.

IANS